Less than a year ago, Hannah Rodriguez was a nervous and excited college senior beginning a summer internship with Pinata. Today, Rodriguez still works at the same company — but in a full-time role.
From writing content to revamping organizational documents, the projects that Rodriguez tackled during her internship allowed her to significantly develop her skill sets and, ultimately, secure a permanent position.
“There are many powerful takeaways from my summer internship at Pinata,” said Rodriguez, who is an associate content strategist at Pinata. “Through the internship, I became a better communicator. I am more confident and a better writer. I gained a lot of knowledge in new areas and grew tremendously.”
Pinata and Spectrum are two companies dedicated to providing meaningful internship opportunities. Through the programs, college students and recent graduates can expect to gain relevant work experience, make notable contributions to their organizations and network with powerful mentors and leaders.
With hiring season ramping up, Built In New York connected with employees at the two featured companies to learn more about the promising professional opportunities they have in store for the next intern class.
Spectrum is the brand behind Charter Communications, Inc., a telecommunications and mass media company.
Tell us a bit about the internship program at Spectrum. What opportunities and experiences can interns expect?
The internship program at Spectrum Reach has three seasons: spring, summer and fall. Our summer program has a thorough 10-week framework.
First, we give them real-world work experience. Our interns do the exact same work as junior-level individuals in our organization, which sets them up to be hired after graduation potentially.
Second, we have an in-depth speaker series that includes talks from key leaders in each department and varied lunch and learn sessions. Third, the interns give back to the community by being involved in a service day with one of Spectrum’s local nonprofit partners.
Finally, the highlight of our program is the intern presentation. Over 10 weeks, interns research and build a presentation together that is then delivered to the leadership team during their final week.
Spectrum Reach employees put a lot of hard work and dedication into the internship program, and more than 40 percent of interns who participate are hired into full-time roles after they graduate.
Our interns do the exact same work as junior-level individuals in our organization, which sets them up to be hired after graduation potentially.”
What are some of the coolest projects that your interns have participated in?
The intern presentation during our summer program is challenging, rewarding and mutually beneficial for both interns and Spectrum Reach employees because of the fresh perspective that interns bring. In 2022, interns were asked to present on how the advertising industry has changed over the last 10 years and predict how it will continue to evolve in the next five years.
Every year, the interns are divided into project groups and tackle matters from every angle of our business, including sales, marketing, advertising operations, product, finance and human resources. The interns collaborate and choose eight people to present the group’s findings to the Spectrum Reach leadership team in New York. Their presentation is also broadcasted via WebEx to the rest of Spectrum Reach, with hundreds of employees watching each year.
How has your internship program helped people grow professionally and kickstart successful careers?
One of the benefits of a Spectrum Reach internship is that our interns gain practical experience by supporting various initiatives and projects in the departments they work in. We make sure they are integrated into our business and learn as much as they can about the advertising industry.
Their contributions are so valuable, and we often have interns extend their time with us past the 10-week period. Interns have even directly transitioned into full-time roles.
We ensure they have the building blocks for success. On the first day of orientation, interns are provided with a full overview of Charter Communications and the company’s business units. They receive training on important items such as navigating company intranets and crafting proper business emails. They also have an opportunity to meet senior leaders, including Spectrum Reach President David Kline.
On day two of orientation, they receive an in-depth overview of Spectrum Reach and some helpful tips on the “college to corporate” transition, which includes strategies for working with and respecting a team environment, navigating corporate culture and networking with other professionals.
Pinata runs a multimedia hub for NFTs and creative content.
Tell us a bit about the internship program that you participated in. What made you decide that this was the right place for your internship?
I began a marketing internship with Pinata in May 2022 during my senior year at the University of Oklahoma. When my internship finished in August, I transitioned into the role of marketing assistant until my graduation in December. Now, I am an associate content strategist.
When applying for internships, I had two priorities in mind. First, I wanted a director who could teach and mentor me. Second, I wanted a company that would challenge me, both personally and professionally. Thankfully, I crossed paths with Pinata.
Throughout the interview process with different team members, I felt that my time and energy were valued. The questions I was asked were friendly yet thought-provoking, and the overall team vibe made me want to be part of this special group. I found the details of the role intriguing, and I thought it would be a great fit based on my skill sets and the skills that I wanted to acquire.
Since joining the team as an intern, I’ve always felt that I have a voice. Most importantly, I’ve been challenged and grown significantly.
Since joining the team as an intern, I’ve always felt that I have a voice.”
What's the coolest project that you worked on as an intern, and what skills did that project help you develop?
From content writing to social media, several projects helped me gain a lot of knowledge and experience. If I had to choose a favorite, it would be the work I did on our Pinata developer documents.
The purposes of these documents were to provide high-level guidance for users who build and create with Pinata and show them how we fit in the Web3 space. Our team realized that these documents needed some work, and we decided that I would take point on revamping them. My goals were to create a more user-friendly experience for our non-technical users and make navigation more seamless for our technical users. It required me to have a deep understanding of the platform, tools and Web3 space that we exist in.
At this point in my internship, I was still learning and was nowhere near an expert in these areas. However, the project allowed me to take my learning to a new level. From being challenged with the task to presenting to leadership, many aspects of the project make it my favorite from the summer. It definitely contributed to my growth as a Pinata employee.
How did your internship help you grow professionally, and how will you carry those lessons forward in your career?
My experience with Pinata has been everything that I could have hoped for and then some. This company is filled with hard-working, empathetic, intelligent and unique people who I feel lucky to work alongside. Being around team members who expect and want you to be successful is powerful, and it’s something that has helped me grow as a person. When you work with amazing people, they make you want to be amazing too.
There are many powerful takeaways from my summer internship at Pinata, but there are a few things that stand out as contributing to my professional development. Through the internship, I became a better communicator. I am more confident and a better writer. I gained a lot of knowledge in new areas and grew tremendously.
The level of trust that my team showed they had in me to produce something great was empowering, and it directly translated into the work that I put out. That is still the case today. I am proud of the person I have evolved into, personally and professionally, and a huge part of that is because of the time I have spent with Pinata.
